The San Francisco Chronicle once described the Avett Brothers’ sound as having the “heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.” A band with an eye on the future but a boot in the past, they almost defy…
In 2000, Nelly burst onto the scene with Country Grammer. Boosted by the success of its title track and the single Ride Wit Me in the charts, the album was an instant hit, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and quickly climbing to No. 1. Nelly capitalized on the album’s success with its…
Ritchie Valens was just 17 years old when he died alongside Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper when their private plane crashed during their tour of the Midwest. At the time of his death, Valens hadn’t released a single album, but had already established himself as one of the most talented young artists in rock…
The new wave met the old guard earlier this month as Lukas Nelson, son of Willie, captivated a packed house in Tucson. The 35-year-old Nelson has been playing music professionally since 2008, but it is performances like this that have liberated Lukas from his father’s shadow. Downtown Tucson’s historic Rialto Theatre hosted Nelson and…
Shania Twain is one of the most notable artists to emerge in the 1990s. After all, she has sold more than 100 million records over the course of her career, which is enough to make her one of the best-selling artists ever. As such, it is no wonder that Twain is sometimes called the Queen…
Whether you know him best as an activist, a musician, or an actor, Willie Nelson is unquestionably one of the most recognizable names in country music. Over a seven-decade career, he’s pioneered outlaw country, influenced the alternative country movements of the 80s and 90s, won countless awards, and released a jaw-dropping 95 studio albums. His…
The Chainsmokers, an electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander “Alex” Pall and Andrew “Drew” Taggart, started out releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. In 2014, they broke into the charts with #Selfie, a song they’d cut for fun but which turned into their major breakthrough. Since then, they’ve won multiple awards, become…
Kings of Leon is a rock band that was formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a family affair, as the band members are brothers Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill, along with their cousin Matthew Followill. In the early days, the band’s style was a combination of garage rock and Southern rock with some…
Fall Out Boy started out as a pop punk-focused side project of the band members, who were involved in Chicago’s hardcore punk scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, it has proven to be very successful. As such, Fall Out Boy are now important names in pop punk as well as related music…